Fight Hina: Champion Edition
by Snafu the Great
Summary: An upgraded version of Fight Hina. Ryu and Chun-Li take over as joint landlords while Keitaro takes a much-needed break from the madness that is Hinata House. More characters from the SF side make an appearance. More fights. More bashing. More mayhem.
1. Prologue: The Promise

Fight Hina: Champion Edition

A Street Fighter/Love Hina Crossover Fanfiction

by Snafu the Great

Snafu's Disclaimer: Love Hina is the baby of Akamatsu, while Street Fighter is the pride of Capcom. The only thing that's mine is Ryu's sword fighting style of Ansatsuken Shinjutsu and the story plot. I've decided to take the original story and give it a complete overhaul. In other words, this is a rewrite. Despite the success of the original Fight Hina, I always thought that it was rushed in my opinion.

So I've decided to completely revamp the entire story. Since this story is connected to my Fight ½ storyline, the elements of that story are also in this one as well (i.e., Ryu being a Toudai graduate and genius, Chun-Li being part of the Joketsuzoku with Musk blood). Plus, more characters from the SF roster will make an appearance in the story. After careful consideration, the story takes place after Keitaro's 'trial' concerning Mutsumi's stolen chastity. One more thing, Fight ½: Origins is on hold, due to a minor case of writer's block. The fic is not dead **so don't email me about that, please!**

Enjoy the revamped version of Fight Hina.

_**Prologue: The Promise**_

Hinata House, Hinata City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan – ten years earlier...

Hinata Urashima, along with her daughter and grandson, faced the three muscled men, the three-story inn known as the Hinata House stood in the background. The first man was older than Hina, dressed in rough clothes that at first glance, would remind someone of the monk-like yamabushi of old. Aside from the hair on the sides of his head and the bushy white ponytail, he was bald. A huge set of prayer beads were on his neck, while a pair of sandals were on his feet.

The second man was a halvsie – a person with Japanese ancestry. He was dressed in a sleeveless karate gi the color of crimson, a pair of yellow fighting gloves on his hands. Long blond hair was tied into a ponytail. A red duffel bag with the word MASTERS emblazoned on the side was evident. The third man was Japanese, with reddish brown hair, the white headband keeping the locks from covering his eyes. Like the blond man, he too was dressed in a dogi, save that his was white. At his feet was his own duffel bag, only his was white. Red fighting gloves were on his hands.

The old man bowed. "It's always a pleasure, Hinata. Thank you for your hospitality."

Hinata returned the bow. "The pleasure is mine, Gouken. I am glad to always offer my service to an old friend such as yourself."

Meanwhile, the ten-year-old boy, who had been hiding behind his aunt's legs, looked at the man in the white gi shyly. The boy had grown close to the man, and it saddened him to see him leave.

As the three men turned to leave, the boy darted forward. "Sempai! Sempai, don't go!"

The man in the white gi stopped and turned around, seeing the boy standing in front of him. He got down on one knee so that he can look the kid in the eyes. "Sorry, kiddo, but I got to go. Remember you told me that you wanted to get into Tokyo University and live happily ever after?"

The boy nodded.

The man smiled. "I too have a goal. I wish to become the strongest fighter in the world. Our roads are not easy, but I will never give up. Neither should you, Keitaro."

Ten-year-old Keitaro Urashima sniffed. "Will I ever see you again, Sempai?"

The man smiled kindly. "Tell you what," he said, raising his pinky. "I promise you that if you ever get into trouble of any kind or if you need help with anything, then you come and find me. I'll try and help you out in any way I can."

Keitaro's face lit up as he grasped the pinky with his own. "Promise?"

"I give you my word," the man replied simply. He tousled the kid's hair as he stood up and slung his duffel bag over his shoulder. "I'll see you around, Keitaro. Take care of yourself, okay?"

The kid nodded eagerly as the three men made their way down the stairs.

* * *

Somewhere on the other side of Kanagawa Prefecture, Present Day...

The courtyard of a massive martial arts school. The dojo was big enough to separate in two, seeing as how the owners were the masters of two different styles of martial arts, hence the name outside – **Shotokan-Wushu School of Martial Arts**.

In a hilarious sidenote, the smaller sign read: **To all challengers: abandon all hope, ye who enter here...and ring the bell.**

The school was located at the base of the mountain fortress known as Red Sparrow Castle, and would open in three months' time. Aside from the dojo, was a two-story lodge, in which the owners used as their living space.

Ryu Houshi had gotten this place for a steal. For sometime now, he and his wife had been looking for the ideal place for a martial arts school that could handle two martial arts disciplines under one roof. Gouken and Gouki had both offered the use of the Ansatsuken Dojo, but Ryu politely declined the offer.

Following their wedding, Ryu and his wife, the former I.C.P.O. operative Chun-Li Xiang had went around the wards of Tokyo, looking for a suitable place to call home and to open their business. Nerima was out, given the simple fact a member of Chun-Li's tribe had set up shop there. And as much as Chun-Li respected Cologne, she decided to steer clear of the scheming matriarch. Azuban-Juuban was also not an option, since it was in Ryu's words, 'Youma central.'

Then Ryu hit pay dirt when he came across the empty dojo in Kanagawa. Of course, the dojo was run-down, but it could be repaired.

That's where Ryu's friend Ken Masters came in. Aside from its chain of hotels worldwide, the Masters Conglomerate also had a superb construction company with offices in Tokyo. After Ryu had secured the deed to the dojo, he and Chun-Li had worked together with the contractors in rebuilding the dojo. Seeing as how the property was big enough to hold a cottage, Ryu had that built also, his near-endless reserves of cash proving to be useful for once.

The construction workers not only repaired the dojo, but had built the home in record time. During the construction of the house and the renovations, Ryu and Chun-Li had been competing in martial arts tournaments all over Tokyo, building the credibility of the Shotokan-Wushu School. Whenever she wasn't competing, Chun-Li, thanks to a former colleague and a master kendoka in Interpol, also taught a class at Tokyo University as a visiting professor, allowing Chun-Li to exercise her degree in criminal justice. Ryu, being a Toudai graduate (the youngest in its history), also taught a class there, at Ken's request, his expertise being Far Eastern History.

Right now, the two owners of the dojo were inside the massive training hall. As mentioned earlier, the dojo could be split in two by a row of shoji doors that lined the middle part of the dojo. Aside the main training area, the dojo also had a set of changing rooms. Various weapons lined the walls of the dojo, placed neatly in racks. A Wing Chun practice dummy was in one corner, while a heavy punching bag was in the other.

The couple was seated on the dojo's hardwood floor. Both were dressed in their respective martial arts uniforms; Ryu in his trademark white gi and red headband, while Chun-Li was in her blue jumpsuit with the yellow trim, hair done up in her ox-horns. Following an intense sparring session...that quickly degenerated when Ryu tackled his wife to the ground and began to tickle her mercilessly, forcing her to yell uncle.

"Jerk," Chun-Li said after her husband had got off of her.

Ryu grinned. "I know. And you love me for it."

The couple shared a laugh.

Their relationship had not started under pleasant circumstances. One year earlier, she was a decorated agent with the International Criminal Police Organization, he was the reigning Street Fighter Champion. She was chasing down the person she thought she had killed back in the Zero Tournament – the Shadowlaw warlord, General Bison.

But she did not get the chance to kill him again. While she was distracted by one of Bison's lieutenants, the narcissist, claw-wielding Spanish Ninja known as Vega, Ryu had went on to fight and eliminate Bison once and for all.

Of course, this did not sit right with Chun-Li, who felt as if her chance for revenge was taken from her. Several months following the conclusion of the tournament, Chun-Li had challenged Ryu to a duel when she found out he was in Hong Kong with his friend.

He won that match as well. Instead of gloating, Ryu had instead given her some advice.

"Let go of your hate, Inspector. Let go of your hate, your anger and your rage. Once those are gone, then you will be unstoppable."

The next time she had encountered Ryu, it was inside the Ansatsuken Dojo in Japan. Prior to her rematch, Chun-Li had ran into a serious case of bad luck, having been blamed for a botched raid on a Shadowlaw safehouse (by colleagues who were on Shadowlaw's payroll) she was suspended from Interpol. Knowing full well that half of her co-workers were corrupt, Chun-Li headed to Japan to challenge Ryu once again.

This time, it ended in a draw, with both fighters injured.

With returning to Hong Kong out of the question, since she was on her crooked co-workers' shit list, Chun-Li had grown disillusioned with Interpol and resigned. While she was recovering from her injuries, she had gotten to know Ryu a bit better, learning more abut the man behind the karate gi. As she found out, appearances were very misleading, given certain revelations about Ryu Houshi. One was he was a genius, having graduated from both Waseda University and Tokyo University at the age of fourteen. Second was that despite living the life of a nomad, Ryu had plenty of money. Not filthy rich like his friend Ken Masters, but enough to live a comfortable life, should he chose to do so.

Chun-Li was also no exception in regards to secrets. Her father, a Hong Kong policeman, was married to a nurse. Her mother was a member of the Nyuchezu tribe of Amazons, better known in Japan as the Joketsuzoku. Chun-Li's grandmother was one of the tribe's elders. Of course, given the fact that Chun-Li was also part of the Joketsuzoku, she was, as by Amazon law to give Ryu the Kiss of Marriage.

But she didn't, since she believed in modern law, rather than the Amazon laws. Instead, they began dating, growing closer, until Ryu proposed to her.

So far, they've been married for over a year, having the wedding in Hong Kong, at Chun-Li's request, following a six-month courtship. Of course, for Chun-Li, being married to Ryu Houshi certainly wasn't boring, given the fact that the both of them were two of the world's best martial artists.

With the preparations for the Shotokan-Wushu School complete, Ryu and Chun-Li had taken the time out to relax before taking on students.

But in the lives of Ryu, and Chun-Li, this was anything but.

"WAAAAHHHH!"

"What the...?! KUSO!"

**THUD.**

Something had struck the ground hard. And it came from outside.

"What the hell?" Chun-Li said, rising to her feet.

Ryu followed suit. "Something happened outside."

The two rushed out of the dojo.

* * *

Three minutes earlier...

Sakura Kasugano was out in the courtyard, training, since both her sensei and his wife had commandeered the dojo for their personal use.

Dressed in her track pants, a white tanktop, her white headband on her head, the eighteen-year-old apprentice of Ryu Houshi and Toudai student was performing an advanced kata, unaware of the unexpected guest that was about to drop in on her lap. Literally.

"WAAAAHHHH!"

Sakura looked up. "What the...?!" she said out loud, before seeing something coming straight at her from the sky.

"KUSO!" she cursed as she narrowly avoided the object, which crashed where she had been standing moments earlier with a loud **THUD**.

Seconds later, Ryu and Chun-Li appeared. "What was that?" Ryu asked.

Unable to come up with a decent explanation, Sakura instead pointed to the object in the crater. Upon further inspection, the trio saw that it was a boy around Sakura's age. He was bound from his shoulders to his feet with thick rope. A fist-shaped bruise was evident on the left side of his face.

"Is he dead?" Sakura asked.

Ryu checked his pulse. "No. He's alive." He turned to Chun-Li. "Li, do you mind?"

Chun-Li nodded. After several swipes of her ki-sharpened nails, the ropes unraveled, showing that the man was in nothing but a pair of pajamas pants and a shirt. Ryu inspected the unconscious man. "No broken bones...no lacerations. He should be fine in a matter of hours."

Sakura looked at Ryu. "Fine? Ryu, he should have broken every bone in his body when he fell. How can he be fine?"

"His ki...it's familiar to me," Ryu replied. "I know this kid from somewhere..." He then snapped his fingers. "Of course. One family that Gouken knew has an ability to use their ki to heal themselves from injury, something similar to what the Ansatsuken School uses."

Ryu picked up the boy and slung him over his shoulder before heading towards the lodge.

"So who is he?" Chun-Li asked as she and Sakura followed Ryu.

"He is the grandson of Hinata Urashima," Ryu replied. "His name is Keitaro Urashima. I recognize that ki from anywhere. His grandmother is the owner of a inn in Hinata City called the Hinata House. I got a crazy feeling about this..."

* * *

[Flashback]

_The girls of Hinata House had their landlord bound and hanging from the ceiling. Apparently, Keitaro's screams had roused the girls of Hinata House from their slumber, only to find their landlord with a naked Mutsumi Otohime in his bed._

_Which led to this impromptu trial._

_Kitsune, dressed as the 'prosecutor,' addressed Keitaro. "So, Keitaro, are you going to confess and take responsibility for your actions?" the fox woman asked, one eye open, her index finger pointing at the bound landlord. _

"_What responsibility?" he spat back. "I said I didn't remember Mutsumi coming in my room, and that I did not do anything to her! I just went to bed after studying!" _

"_Well, you have responsibility as our landlord to explain what you did last night," Kitsune replied. "Also, you have responsibility for Mutsumi's stolen chastity."_

"_Chastity?" Keitaro repeated. "I didn't to anything to her!"_

"_Urashima..." Motoko drew out the name as she drew out her sword, "your actions are unforgivable. The time has come for me to strike you down once and for all!"_

_Keitaro sweatdropped at the sight of Motoko's sword. "I swear to you, on my grandfather's grave I am innocent!" _

_He then felt someone poking at his throat. "Eewww...what's this?" the hyperactive genius Kaolla Suu asked. "Looks like a hickey!" _

"_That's not a hickey!" Keitaro replied. "That's how Tama tells me to feed her every morning!"_

_Kitsune then produced a microphone and held it at the hot springs turtle. "Is this true, Tama?" she asked._

_The turtle raised one flipper up and replied, "Myuh."_

_Kitsune turned back to Keitaro. "Looks like Tama is denying your claim," she replied in her Kansai drawl._

"_Why are you doing this to me?!" Keitaro half-shouted. "I told you I did nothing to Mutsumi! I'm innocent!"_

"_But if Sempai and Mutsumi were both sleeping naked…in the same futon…" the blue-haired cook known as Shinobu Maehara stuttered, tears streaming from her eyes. _

_That was all she said before she fled the room in tears. "No! How could you, Sempai!" was her retreating cry._

_The young girl ran past Mutsumi, now dressed, who had just entered the room. "Ara...Kei-kun, I would like to have a word with you."_

_Keitaro breathed out a sigh of relief. "Mutsumi! Tell them! Tell them that I did nothing to you!"_

"_It's my tests," the buxom Okinawan replied. "They came back positive."_

_With the exception of Keitaro, who was still tied up, the girls facefaulted. _

_Motoko was the first to recover. "URASHIMA, PREPARE TO DIE!" she screamed._

_However, it was Naru that had stopped the teenage kendoka from gutting Keitaro. Turning to the bound male, the Toudai aspirant gave Keitaro a sadistic smile before screaming, "I hope you drop dead, baka!"_

_That was followed by a Naru Atomic Punch, which sent Keitaro on his morning flight across the prefecture. As always, he would be mistaken for a U.F.O._

[End Flashback]

* * *

Keitaro groaned as the memories of what had happened earlier that morning came back to him. As his vision cleared, he saw that he was looking into the concerned face of a girl his age.

"Hello...hey, Sempai, I think he's coming to."

Keitaro Urashima found himself lying flat on his back. His jaw was sore, as well as the rest of him from landing who-knows-where. As his vision cleared, he saw that he was inside a bedroom. There was a teenage girl around his age looking over him, waving her hand over his face, occasionally snapping her fingers.

Behind her, were two older adults. One was dressed in a white karate dogi with a black belt wrapped around his waist, the red headband wrapped around his head to keep the bangs out of his eyes. Beside him was a Chinese woman, curvaceous, and dressed in a one-piece blue tracksuit with yellow trim. Her long hair was braided and bunned, secured with yellow ribbons. The teenage girl was simply dressed in a white V-necked shirt and a pare of track pants. A white hakimachi was wrapped around her head.

"Take it easy, kid," the man said, arms folded. He gestured to the teenage Japanese girl. "You caused quite a scare in my apprentice when you dropped in earlier this morning."

Before Keitaro could utter an apology, the man continued speaking. "It's been a while, Keitaro. Last time I saw you, you were a little sprat."

Keitaro squinted at the man. "I know you from somewhere, don't I?"

"You should. My sensei is friends with your grandmother, Hinata. We stayed at the Hinata Inn when you were a boy."

Keitaro looked at the man closer. "Sempai? Ryu-sempai? Is that you?"

Ryu nodded. "It's me, all right. You look like hell, Keitaro."

"Tell me about it," Keitaro mumbled. He looked at the teenage girl and the Chinese woman. "Who are they?"

"The girl is my apprentice, and Toudai student, Sakura Kasugano," Ryu introduced. "The Chinese woman is my wife, Chun-Li Xiang. Li, Sakura, this is Keitaro Urashima."

Sakura waved in greeting. "Hello."

Chun-Li responded with a nod. "Nice to meet you, Keitaro."

"Likewise," Keitaro replied. Then his mind backtracked at what Ryu had told him. "Wait a second...did you say Toudai?"

Ryu nodded. "Yup. Sakura is a freshman at Tokyo University. I myself am a Toudai alums. You should be at least a junior in Toudai, right?"

"Actually," Keitaro corrected, lowering his head, "I failed the entrance exams three times already. I'm still trying to get into Toudai." He then blinked. "Wait...you're a Todai alums? But...but you were traveling the world when you visited the Hinata!"

Ryu grinned. "I graduated from Tokyo University when I was fourteen," Ryu explained, enjoying the look of surprise from the young Urashima's face. "Before that, it was Waseda University. I hold two degrees in History and Physical Education. Don't feel too bad, Urashima. If you try hard enough, you will pass the exams. So how's your aunt and Hina?"

"Haruka's the owner of a teahouse near the Hinata," Keitaro replied. "As for Grandma, she's been on her little world tour for quite sometime now. Hina's left me the Hinata. She's changed it from an in to an all-girls' dormitory."

"An all-girls dormitory?" Ryu repeated, before grinning. "Keitaro, you sly dog. Landlord of a dorm filled with nothing but pretty women. Must be heaven for you."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say to Keitaro, as the memories of what had happened earlier that day returned to him in full force, the straw finally breaking on the proverbial camel's back.

"THE HELL IT IS! EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN GIVEN THE DORM TO RUN, I'VE WORKED MY ASS OFF TO KEEP THE DORM RUNNING AND THE GIRLS HAPPY! BUT WHAT DO I GET IN RETURN?! NOT EVEN A GODDAMN THANK YOU! ALL I GET IS MY MONEY STOLEN, BLOWN TO KINGDOM COME, A NARU-PUNCH TO THE FACE AND A SHINMEIRYU SPECIAL TECHNIQUE UP MY ASS!"

Ryu noticed that Sakura was hiding behind him. "Scary," she whispered.

Keitaro continued to rant. "THIS ENDS WHEN I GET BACK. I'VE HAD IT! WHEN I GET BACK TO THE HINATA, I'M CALLING THE COPS AND HAVING THOSE THREE EVICTED!"

Even Chun-Li was shocked by Keitaro's outburst. 'Poor guy. What the hell did those girls put him through to make him snap so badly?'

Ryu placed one hand on Keitaro's shoulder. "Calm down, kiddo. Take a couple of deep breaths. Come downstairs. We'll talk over tea. You can explain everything there."

* * *

Hinata Teahouse.

As Keitaro rants to Ryu and Chun-Li...

"You're joking, right?" Naru Narusegawa asked the owner of the Hinata Teahouse, and former housemother of Hinata House. "Mutsumi's sleeping habits are that bad?"

Haruka Urashima nodded as she wiped down the counter, an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips. "Yup," she replied in her usual deadpan tone, following Naru's account of the incident earlier. Of course, the hotheaded redhead and first-year ronin kept out the part about the 'trial' of Keitaro. "Turtle girl wakes up in the middle of the night looking for the restroom, then the next morning, I find her at the base of the stairs. Now that you mentioned it, I'm not really surprised if she fell in the hole in your room."

Being a reasonably intelligent woman (when she wasn't jumping to conclusions in regards to her landlord), Naru began to connect the dots. 'Hmm...it's possible...more than possible. There was that piece of cloth I found, not to mention that Liddo-kun was in Keitaro's room...'

Naru chuckled softly. "I feel so silly now. Maybe I should have listened to Keitaro after all. That'll teach me to jump to conclusions."

"What was that?" Haruka asked as she lit her cigarette, breathing in the nicotine.

"Oh, nothing," Naru replied, waving her off. "Thanks, Haruka."

As the redhead left the cafe, Haruka frowned. 'Something's happened to Keitaro...and I'm willing to bet that those three had a hand in it.'

She decided to deal with those three later. Right now, the lunch rush was going to start soon and she had to make sure that Kentato was prepared.

* * *

Back at the Shotokan-Wushu School of Martial Arts...

Keitaro sipped at the cup of warm Formosa oolong tea. As much as he hate to admit, the Chinese tea was a lot better than what Shinobu or Haruka would make. It also did a excellent job of calming his nerves following his outburst.

Ryu and Chun-Li sat at the table alongside Keitaro. Sakura was leaning up against the counter, arms folded, concern written over her features. The married couple also had concerned looks on their faces as Keitaro continued to sip at his tea.

"Sorry for blowing up at you earlier," Keitaro apologized. "It's been a bad morning for me already."

Keitaro then told the three about the impromptu 'trial' and 'verdict,' which led him to the school's doorstep. He also told them about all of the hell he had been put through ever since stepping foot into the Hinata, from being used as a scapegoat, a test dummy, a human punching bag and a personal bank.

"Hmm..." Chun-Li began. She then ticked off her fingers. "Assault, criminal negligence, battery, destruction of property, blackmailing, sexual harassment, and attempted murder." Off Keitaro's shocked look, Chun-Li shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a former member of Interpol. Trust me, I know the law."

"Any sane man would have called the cops a long time ago," Sakura said. "Why did you let this continue?"

Ryu answered for Keitaro. "It's because Keitaro tries to see the good in the bad, as what his grandmother Hina had taught him. All he ever wanted was to achieve his dreams of becoming a Toudai student. He gives it his all and asks for nothing in return. Even the most disciplined and the most innocent of people have a breaking point, Kasugano. As you have seen earlier with his outburst, Keitaro has reached his."

"My guess is that the girls each have issues that they are not willing to deal with," Chun-Li interjected, one finger on her chin as if in thought. "They see you as a human doormat to vent out their frustrations on. I'm surprised that they haven't killed you, or you haven't snapped and killed them. Why don't you just evict them beforehand?"

"It's not what Granny Hina would have done," Keitaro replied. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I need a break. Otherwise, I'm going back to the Hinata and evict those three."

"Hold on a minute, Keitaro," Ryu said. "I think I have a solution for you." When it was clear that Ryu had Keitaro's attention, the Street Fighter champion pitched his idea. "Take some time off to clear your mind. Let someone else run the dorm as the kanrinrin."

Keitaro thought about it. "I can do with a nice vacation from being the landlord, but who am I going to find to run the place? Hina's somewhere on her world tour with my stepsister, Haruka can't do it because she is running the teahouse, and if I call Tsuruko, she would probably gut Motoko where she stand."

"Tsuruko?" Ryu repeated. "You know Tsuruko Aoyama, the Shinmeiryu kendoka?"

"Yeah. She's the elder sister of one of the three tenants I want to throw out – Motoko Aoyama. How do you know about the Aoyamas, Sempai?"

"Aside from being a master in Ansatsuken and several other styles," Ryu replied,"I am also the shihan of Ansatsuken's weapons style, Ansatsuken Shinjutsu. I fought Tsuruko to a draw ten years earlier." A smile crept across his lips as he turned to his wife.

Chun-Li caught the look and knew what her husband was thinking. "Ryu...you're thinking about taking over as landlord of the Hinata, aren't you?"

"No. I want the both of us to do it."

Chun-Li blinked. "What? Are you serious?"

"Think of it as training before we open the school. And it's been a while since we both had a decent challenge, right?"

Ryu had a point on that, Chun-Li had to admit. After all, if one kanrinin who was a no-nonsense, world-class martial artist was bad enough, then how would the girls handle not one, but two kanrinrins who were both martial artists?

Keitaro then spoke. "You two are going to take over as landlords? Seriously?"

Ryu nodded. "Seriously." He turned to his wife. "Chun?"

Chun-Li nodded as well. "Sure. Why not? I can use the practice." She turned to Keitaro. "Anything we need to know about the tenants?"

Keitaro thought about it before responding. "I can tell you off the top of my head. There are seven girls living there. First up is Naru Narusegawa."

"I've heard of her," Sakura butted in. "She was number one on the mock exams last year."

"She's also a first-year ronin," Keitaro continued. "She is also very violent and Naru-punches me for the slightest offense, which is how I got here. Next up is Motoko Aoyama, the heiress to the Shinmeiryu School in Kyoto, having been granted her black belt at fifteen years old. She thinks all men are perverted and only wants to get into a woman's pants. I've also been on the receiving end of her ki attacks. It's a miracle I'm not dead yet. She is also scared of turtles."

He took another sip of his tea. "Next, is Mitsune Konno, the fox of Hinata House. Everyone calls her Kitsune. She claims to be a freelance writer, but all I ever see her do is drink sake and bet on horse races. She also wiped out my life savings when her and Motoko were looking for me last year. She is conniving and I have to bribe her with sake or deduct from her rent of I want her to do something. She even goes as far as to set me up for attacks from Naru and Motoko. The next-to-youngest is Shinobu Maehara, the dorm's cook. I know she means well, but she is much too young for me.

"Then there is Kaolla Suu. She is a princess from the island of Molmol. She is hyperactive and likes to kick me in the head. She is also a geinus and uses me as a guniea pig to test her inventions on me. Why I'm not dead or missing something I'll never know. The last two girls are Mutsumi Otohime and Sara MacDougal. Mutsumi loves watermelons and is very friendly. However, she is prone to fainting spells and anemia. Sara is the adopted daughter of Norimasu Seta, an archaelogist. She has a tendency of smashing clay pots over my head."

"So that's it?" Ryu asked.

Keitaro nodded. "That's it."

Ryu turned to Chun-Li. "Well, Li. What do you say?"

Chun-Li smiled evilly. "I'm game. But first, we got to make this official." She turned to Keitaro. "Can you draw up a contract, Keitaro? The contract should be that you relinquish all responsibilities as manager for two months and hand them over to Ryu and me. That way, the girls don't have a legal standing to try and get us removed. As for the kendo girl..." She turned to Ryu. "I'll let you deal with her."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Keitaro asked. "She is extremely skilled with the sword. Come to think about it, I've never head of Ansatsuken Shinjutsu before."

"In that case," Ryu replied as he stood up, "I think a demonstration is in order. Come with me."

* * *

Outside the courtyard, Keitaro watched as Chun-Li and Sakura set up several training dummies, wondering what Ryu had planned.

Minutes later, Ryu exited the dojo. In his hand, was his primary weapon, his Masamune (think Vergil's Yamato sword from Devil May Cry 3); beautiful, yet very deadly. The sword was given to him once he made shihan of Ansatsuken Shinjutsu.

The sword was a priceless heirloom within the Ansatsuken school, the blade itself considered to be indestructable. The sword was perfect in every way. On the scabbard, was the slogan Fuurinkazan carved into it in Japanese kanji. The term translated as 'swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire and immovable as a mountain.' According to Master Gouken, the slogan was based on the personal motto of feudal warlord Takeda Shingen.

It was also how the warriors of Ansatsuken and its kendo counterpart carried themselves in battle.

Ryu was trained in the art of swordsmanship by both Gouken and Gouki since he was six, now a master himself, with Gouken, who favoring the non-lethal version of Shinjutsu, while Gouki used the style to its purest. Ryu, however, went down the middle path, using both variations of his masters' styles and created his own style.

"Allow me to introduce a friend of mine, Urashima," Ryu drawled as he brought the sheathed sword into view.

Holding it by its scabbard in one hand, he grasped the handle with his other hand and drew the blade out of its sheath. The blade itself was forged from a special type of metal that was only found in the Hokkaido region of Japan hundreds of years ago, giving it a light cobalt blue color.

"Keitaro, meet Ashura," Ryu said, introducing the three-time ronin to his sword. "Ashura, this is Keitaro."

Ryu stuck the scabbard into his belt before focusing on the training dummies. "Like the Shinmeiryu Kendo School, Ansatsuken Shinjutsu was also used to slay demons and youma, as well as performing Shinto exorcisms on possessed innocents," Ryu explained. "But that is where the similarities between the two schools end. Whereas the Shinmeiryu uses mostly wind-based ki attacks, Ansatsuken Shinjutsu utilizes the power of the four elements: wind, earth, electricity, and fire. Observe the power of destructive ki. I will show only three of the techniques of my style."

Keitaro watched wide-eyed as Ashura's blade began to glow with a soft blue light, the result of Ryu channeling his ki into the blade.

Then he unleashed his attack.

"Shippuzan!" Ryu shouted as he swung his sword. The ki blast of supercooled air, similar to the Shinmeiryu technique Hiken Zankuusen, only much more potent, sailed towards the dummy at blinding speed.

Keitaro's eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets as he watched as the ki blast decimated the dummy into sawdust.

Ryu turned to a second training dummy. "Shakunetsu Retsuzan!" he shouted as he charged, coming in very low, before leaping into the air, spinning, the blade on fire as it struck the dummy numerous times, reducing it to ashes.

Ryu turned to the remaining dummy. "And now...the coup de grace. Ansatsuken Shinjutsu final attack...Zantetsuken!"

To Keitaro, all he saw was five flashes, before Ryu smoothly sheathed his sword. Once the **CLICK **was heard, the training dummy fell to the ground, neatly severed in five pieces.

Ryu dusted himself off before removing his sword from his belt. Resting it on one shoulder, he turned to Keitaro and the two women.

"As you can see, Urashima," Ryu drawled, "There is much more to harnessing ki energy than just making the wind blow. That is why Ansatsuken Shinjutsu is a force to be reckoned with. And if Motoko wishes to find out the hard way, then it's on her head."

Keitaro shook himself out of his stupor following Ryu's demonstration. "Um...when can you two start?" he asked. Clearly, Ryu's knowledge of ki-manipulation had did it for him.

"We can start today," Chun-Li replied. "I'll go on ahead, Ryu. You, Sakura and Keitaro follow tomorrow."

Ryu nodded. "Fair enough." He turned to Keitaro. "I think you should let your aunt know what's happened."

Keitaro nodded and returned to the house.

* * *

Hinata Teahouse.

The phone rang. Once...twice...three times before Kentaro answered. "Hello, Hinata Teahouse."

"Kentaro, is my aunt there?"

"One moment," the Sakata heir replied. "Haruka! Keitaro's on the phone."

Moments later, Haruka picked up the phone. "Keitaro?"

"Aunt Haruka," Keitaro began, "I'm taking some time off as kanrinrin."

Haruka's comment regarding Keitaro addressing her by that title died in her throat with her nephew's proclamation. "If you think I'm going to take over as landlord while you're gone, you got another thing coming, nephew. So what happened this morning? Naru came down to the shop asking about Mutsumi's sleeping habits. Knowing your luck with the girls, something happened, right?

"It has," Keitaro replied. He then gave his aunt a detailed account about what had happened. Suffice to say, Haruka was very, very upset. Sure the girls were rough on her nephew, but this was going too far. It also showed just how petty Naru and the other two really are.

"It's either I take some time off and clear my head, or I come back to the Hinata with a police escort so I can evict Naru, Motoko and Kitsune and have them arrested."

Haruka noticed the seriousness in Keitaro's voice. Apparently the little stunt that Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had put him through earlier that day had made him reach his breaking point. "Any ideas as to who you got taking over as kanrinin?"

"Remember Ryu Houshi?"

Now that was a name that Haruka haven't heard in a long time. "Yeah. He was a guest at the Hinata along with his sensei and his friend. He's back in Japan?"

"I'm at the dojo he owns with his wife on the other side of the prefecture."

Haruka blinked. Ryu? Now married? This was something she didn't expect. "Go on."

"I'm giving them full control over the Hinata for two months. I'm hoping that the girls either learn to respect me after Ryu and Chun-Li put them through the wringer. If not, then they can evict them from the dorm. Ryu and I will arrive with his apprentice tomorrow. Chun-Li will arrive later on today."

"Okay. So what does she look like so I know?"

"She's Chinese," Keitaro replied. "Hair done up in twin buns. "She's packing as we speak. In the meantime, go and tell the girls that they will be expecting their new managers soon."

"Will do."

Translations:

**Shippuzan** (Gale Slash) is the basic move of Ansatsuken Shinjutsu. It is similar to the Shinmeiryu Kendo School's basic attack, the Hiken Zankuusen, given its use of the power of wind. However, the Shippuzan goes a step further by using supercooled air to numb the opponent. Ryu's variant of the Shippuzan is especially deadly because he is using raw ki instead of emotional ki, which has the ability to destroy anything it touches.

**Shakunetsu Retsuzan** (Scorching Heat Whirlwind Slash) was also a wind-based ki technique, until Ryu, given his knowledge of raw and elemental ki, combined it with the same type of ki used for his Shakunetsu Hadouken. The Shakunetsu Retuzan is an anti-air technique, and as Keitaro had witnessed, a very formidable technique.

**Zantetsuken** (Steel-bladed Sword) is by far, one of the most lethal techniques in Ansatsuken Shinjutsu. (i.e., if you want a demonstration of its effectiveness, play Final Fantasy 8. That's where I got this move from).


	2. Chapter 1: Hinata House, Prepare!

_**Chapter One: Hinata House, Prepare! Chun-Li Has Arrived!**_

Hinata House.

Haruka found the tenants inside the dining room, having lunch. Following her nephew's phone call, Haruka was understandably pissed in regards the treatment her nephew has endured under his charges. Sure she could not look after him for the rest of his life, but even this was going too far.

"Girls," Haruka began without any preamble, "I have an announcement to make regarding your Kanrinrin. He is taking some time off as manager of the Hinata."

As expected, two of the tenants did not take the news all that well.

"Are you serious?" Naru half-shouted, her planned apology towards Keitaro now forgotten. "That perverted baka should just quit! He's the landlord, for crying out loud! He should be here for the tenants, not taking off whenever he feels like it!"

Motoko nodded. "I agree with Narusegawa," she said coldly. "Urashima has proven once again to act like the coward he truly is by avoiding his responsibilities. He should be better off relinquishing his post as the kanrinrin and remove himself from this place."

Haruka may have been calm, but the pulsing vein on her forehead told a different story. "Motoko, you or Naru have no say in who should be running the dorm," she replied, her voice as ice as she glared at the three offending tenants, causing them to shift uncontrollably in their seats. "Given the stunt that you pulled on Keitaro earlier today, I can now see why he is taking some time off."

Naru, Motoko and Kitsune exchanged worried glances.

"Yes, I know about the 'trial' you three had put my nephew through," Haruka spat out. "Keitaro has told me everything. This is extreme, even for the three of you. If Keitaro wishes to pursue a relationship with Mutsumi, and if that relationship did indeed involve some kind of intimacy, then that is his and Mutsumi's right! He has the right to live his own life without the three of you trying to interfere!"

"Regardless of that fact," Motoko replied, "time and time again Urashima has been neglecting his duties as the Kanrinrin. This vacation simply proves that I am right. That spineless coward –"

"Unless you wish to return to Kyoto in a full-body cast, Miss Aoyama," Haruka cut in, her voice ice-cold, leveling her steel gaze upon the Shinmeiryu heiress, cracking her knuckles in full view of the teenage kendoka, promising great pain, "then you better not finish that sentence."

Motoko gulped. She had seen Haruka in combat before, being adept in several martial arts, including the Urashima style, and did not wish to test her skills in combat, since Haruka is scary when she is pissed. Just like her elder sister. Wisely, she closed her mouth.

Despite Naru and Motoko's reactions, several of the other tenants were genuinely concerned for their manager, particularly the dorm's resident chef, Shinobu Maehara. "Will Sempai be all right?" she asked. "He looked very upset given what's happened today."

"Keitaro's fine, Shinobu," Haruka replied, her tone now back in its usual deadpan tone, but friendly towards the blue-haired girl. "He'll be back tomorrow."

"The dork should just stay in whatever hole he's hiding in," Sara snorted.

"Now that was not nice, Sara," Mutsumi childed. "We should be more appreciative of Keitaro's efforts in maintaining the Hinata."

Suu, on the other hand, was busy wolfing down her lunch.

"So who's going to run the dorm while Keitaro's out?" Kitsune asked.

"A friend of the Urashima family has stepped in to act as Kanrinin," Haruka replied. "He will be arriving tomorrow."

Motoko looked up. "'He?'" She snorted in disdain. "It's just like Urashima to call in another male If he is just as perverted, I won't hesitate to deliver justice on him."

'You just don't know how deep of a hole you're in, kendo girl,' Haruka thought darkly. "Keitaro didn't hire one kanrinrin. He hired two."

That caught the girls' attention. "Two landlords?" they all chorused.

Haruka nodded. "You can expect the first kanrinrin later on today. Her husband will arrive with Keitaro tomorrow." Her ice-cold gaze turned onto the three offending tenants. "You will show them the respect that you don't show to my nephew. Unlike Keitaro, they are not as forgiving."

With that said, Haruka excused herself and departed from the room. From the corner of her eye, Naru noticed the evil smirk that appeared on the female Urashima's face. In the back of Naru's mind, she wondered what that baka hentai of a kanrinin had in store for the girls.

* * *

The day passes rather lazily for the people of Hinata City. As evening approached, Haruka was tending to her customers. Soon, it was closing time.

After the last customer was sent on his way, another person walked into the teahouse.

Without looking up, Haruka said, "We're closed for the evening. Come back tomorrow."

"Is this the Hinata Teahouse?"

Haruka stopped what she was doing and turned around, facing the newcomer. "Who's asking?"

Haruka saw that the person was female – Chinese to be precise, curvaceous, with dark brown hair in twin buns and secured with ribbons and cloth. She was dressed simply – in a sleeveless blue T-shirt, denim pants and tennis shoes. A knapsack was slung over one shoulder and two traveling bags were at her feet.

Haruka noticed that distinct hairstyle, remembering her conversation with Keitaro earlier that Ryu's wife wore her hair in that trademark style. "You're Ryu's wife?"

Chun-Li nodded. "I am." She dropped the pack to the floor and bowed slightly. "Chun-Li Xiang."

Haruka responded to Chun-Li's bow with a slight inclination of her head, as if she was sizing the other woman up. "Haruka Urashima. So you're Ryu's wife. Leave it to him to marry a martial artist." She tapped her chin in thought. "So you're the 'Strongest Woman on Earth.' Not what I've been expecting."

Chun-Li frowned slightly. She hadn't used that title in years. Not since the conclusion of the Zero Tournaments. "So I had a bit of an ego back then. I don't use that title anymore. I guess being married kinda mellowed me out."

Haruka motioned to an empty table. Chun-Li took a seat as Haruka got out a pot of tea and two cups from the back room. After pouring out cups for herself and her guest, Haruka sat down across from the Chinese martial artist.

"I didn't know Ryu was back in Japan," Haruka said. "You must really be something to catch a guy like him."

"He's not as bad as most people paint him to be," Chun-Li replied, defending her husband. "Believe me, I found out some stuff about him that not even I was expecting."

"Such as...?"

Chun-Li's mind raced back to their first 'date' over a year ago. She had came to Japan to hide out from her former crooked co-workers, as well as to get her rematch from the reigning Street Fighter champion...

* * *

[Flashback]

_A Ramen shop, somewhere in Tokyo._

_The two martial artists were seated at a booth, Chun-Li watching in amusement as Ryu was on his third bowl of ramen. "I'm surprised you're not as big as Honda. You got one hell of an appetite."_

_Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Well...given my training regimen, I stay in shape. That and according to the doctors, I burn my metabolism faster. Of course, Honda and I both had our share of eating contests back when we were younger. He would win most of them," he added with a wry grin._

"_This is the first time I've seen you without your student," Chun-Li noted. "Last time I saw her was two years ago back in the Zero tournaments."_

_Ryu nodded. "She was fifteen the first time I met her. She wanted me to train her in Ansatsuken. I refused, but before the last tournament, I conceded and took her on as my student. Kasugano is a bit hot-headed at times, but she is a good kid."_

"_Never thought I would see you take on a apprentice."_

"_I thought the same as well. But after coming back from my world tour, I wanted to do something else. Sakura's family moved to Okayama and since she didn't want to leave her school and friends, I talked with her parents and with their permission, I became her de facto guardian, as well as her sempai in the martial arts."_

"_Speaking of tournaments, why was Sagat pissed at you?"_

"_You noticed the big scar on his chest?" Ryu asked._

_Chun-Li nodded. "Yeah. It's kinda hard to miss." Off Ryu's expression, Chun-Li put two and two together. "Wait...you gave him that scar?"_

_Ryu mock-clapped. "Excellent detective work, Inspector Xiang. You deserve a cookie," he said sarcastically. "It's true. The scar on his chest was my fault. I won the first World Warrior tournament by a fluke, and I ended up scarring Sagat for life. Not one of my best moments."_

_As Ryu said this, he thought back on that fateful day in Thailand when he scarred the one-eyed giant with a Dark Hadou-powered Shoryuken. Sagat had nearly died from the blow and upon his recovery, had joined Shadowlaw._

"_We managed to make a truce of sorts," Ryu continued. "I had found out that Sagat was in the hospital in Bangkok and I found him there. This was before I fought you in Hong Kong. We never had a chance to fight once again, since there was some outside interference from a Musk scouting party." He leaned back in his seat, catching Chun-Li's slightly stunned expression upon hearing the word 'Musk.' "Enough about me. This conversation is becoming one-sided. What about you?"_

"_As you already know, my father was a Hong Kong police detective," Chun-Li replied, recovering from her shock. "My mother was a nurse. I also have a grandmother, who lives in western China, near the Bayankala Mountains. Both my parents and my grandmother are martial artists, so I learned several styles growing up. My mom died when I was twelve, and you know what happened to my father. I guess because of him I wanted to become a law enforcement officer. So I went to college, majored in both Physical Education and Criminology. What about you? You went to school?"_

"_I did," Ryu replied. "I graduated from Waseda University, then continued my education at Tokyo University."_

_Chun-Li frowned. "You must be some kind of prodigy, right?"_

"_Nope. Genius."_

_The Chinese woman's eyes blinked audibly. "You? A genius? You're joking, right? You, Mr. 'The-fight-is-all,' a genius?"_

_Ryu grinned as he finished off an eggroll. "Shocking, I know. Most people doesn't know about that piece of info about me. Only Ken and his family, as well as Gouken, Gouki and Sakura know. I got a degree in Physical Education from Waseda, and a History degree from Toudai. All before I turned fourteen. I graduated from two of Japan's most respectable universities with an IQ of 197."_

_Chun-Li did a perfect impression of a fish, her mouth opening, then closing until she finally got control over herself. "But...if you're so smart, then why aren't you working for some big Japanese zaibatsu?"_

"_No one was interested in hiring a whiz kid, and I wanted more out of life than to be a stiff-necked executive or salaryman. Martial arts is my passion, and I want to open up a dojo, but no parent would send their children to a school whose name translates into Assassin's Fist."_

"_So what is Ansatsuken?" Chun-Li asked._

"_An original style created by Sheng Long, the founder of the school based on the principles of five fighting styles: Taekwondo, Judo, Akido, Kyokushin and Shotokan Karate. Ken and I took the time to study the five styles to get a better understanding of the style, not to mention enhancing what we already know. Kinda like a sculptor who doesn't keep adding clay to a statue, but removes the inessentials until the truth is revealed."_

"_So instead of being a smart-ass prodigy," Chun-Li concluded, "you became a martial arts prodigy."_

_Ryu nodded. "Yup. A martial arts prodigy with more rivals and enemies to fill a phone book with," he added with a grin._

[End Flashback]

Even Haruka was surprised at this little revelation. She had always thought that Ryu was a macho jock with something to prove. But as her mother and late father always told her, 'never judge a book by its cover.'

'Maybe he can help Keitaro with his studies, if he is a Toudai graduate,' Haruka thought. 'Keitaro's been through too much already.'

"So what's your story?" Haruka asked.

"Me? Aside from being a martial artist," Chun-Li replied, "I'm a former Interpol agent. Ryu and I are planning on opening up a dojo together on the other side of Kanagawa. What about you?"

"Me?" Haruka replied. "Just a humble owner of a teahouse. So what did Keitaro tell you?"

"He told me and Ryu everything there is to know about the girls," the Chinese martial artist stated. "Their strengths, their weaknesses, their habits and insecurities. We know how to play it to our advantage. Narusegawa, Konno and Aoyama won't even know what hit them." Chun-Li smiled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a document, handing it to Haruka. "This is the contract that Keitaro has made with Ryu and myself. It makes our tenure as the interim kanrinrins official and legal. The girls have neither a legal nor a moral standing to try and remove us. It also gives the power and authority to evict those three should they cross the line. I will deal with Konno and Narusegawa." Chun-Li smiled evilly. To Haruka, the smile looked...feral. "Ryu will deal with the kendo girl."

The smile chilled even the steel-nerved Haruka to the bone. 'I almost feel sorry for the girls...almost,' she thought.

Haruka stood up. "Ready to meet the girls?"

Chun-Li nodded. "Lead the way," she replied as she followed suit.

* * *

Hinata House.

Chun-Li looked around the common room. "Nice place."

Haruka nodded. "Thanks. It used to be an inn until Mom changed it to a girls' dorm." She then brought two fingers to her lips and let out a very loud whistle. "Girls! Meeting in the common room!" the female Urashima shouted.

Within seconds, the seven tenants of the dorm arrived from various parts of the dorm. The look on their faces said it all. They thought that Haruka was joking when she said that a woman was arriving. They had all thought that Keitaro would return to the Hinata.

Instead of Keitaro, Naru, Motoko, Kitsune, Shinobu, Suu, Sara and Mutsumi were shocked to see an attractive and curvaceous Chinese woman standing next to Haruka.

Chun-Li sized up the tenants, quickly identifying them from her past conversations with Keitaro. 'Hmm...the timid one is Shinobu Maehara, the dorm's resident cook; the hyperactive teen is Kaolla Suu, the Molmolese princess and geinus; the girl in the red cap is Professor Seta's adopted daughter, Sara MacDougal; the woman with the watermelon in her hand is Mutsumi Otohime; the redhead is Naru Narusegawa, first-year ronin; the woman standing next to her is Mitsune Konno, and the kendoka is Motoko Aoyama.'

"Girls," Haruka drawled, "this is Chun-Li Xiang, one of the two interim kanrinrin that will be managing the dorm in Keitaro's absence. Introductions all around."

Shinobu spoke first. "I'm Shinobu. Shinobu Maehara."

"Mutsumi Otohime," Mutsumi said next, bowing.

"Mitsune Konno, but everyone calls me Kitsune."

Sara went next. "Sara MacDougal."

"Heyas!" Suu greeted. "I'm Kaolla Suu! Are you a new playmate?"

"Naru Narusegawa," Naru said simply.

"I am Motoko Aoyama," Motoko finished. She looked at Chun-Li. 'Her aura...her ki is incredibly high, almost near Aneue's level,' she thought. 'Could she be a practitioner of the Arts?' It was at that moment that something that Haruka had said caught her attention. "Haruka, did you say two kanrinrins?"

"I did," Haruka replied. "Chun-Li's husband will be arriving tomorrow. In the meantime, show Chun-Li around he dorms."

After Haruka had departed, the girls had led Chun-Li to the landlord's room, where Chun-Li placed her bags inside. Looking up, she noticed the hole in the ceiling. "What's with the hole?"

"Oh, that leads to my room," Naru explained. "Granny Hina uses it a lot when she was in charge."

"Don't you think that's dangerous, if someone falls through it?" Chun-Li asked as she unpacked her clothes, placing them inside the drawer. Keitaro had been rearranging his clothes, and had removed them from his dresser and placed them inside a hamper for safekeeping.

"I keep it covered," Naru replied. "Only person to fall through was Mutsumi, and she was sleepwalking."

"Still, it's a safety hazard," Chun-Li said as she continued to unpack. "What if the younger tenants fall through? What then?"

Naru really never thought of that.

Once Chun-Li was settled in, the girls took her on a tour of the dorm grounds. Chun-Li knew that the annex was haunted and therefore, forbidden. Of course, Chun-Li knew the layout of the place beforehand, since Keitaro had drew her a map of the three-story building, labeling whose room is which, which rooms were empty and so on.

As the tour went on, Motoko was slightly troubled. 'Chun-Li reminds me of Aneue,' she thought as she looked at the Chinese woman's wedding ring.

Tsuruko was the original heir to the Shinmeiryu Kendo School before she relinquished her position in order to get married, leaving Motoko to inherit the dojo when she comes of age.

"Excuse me, I need to get started on dinner," Shinobu said, leaving for the kitchen. Suu ran off to her room to work on one of her gadgets, Sara following close behind the young princess. Mutsumi excused herself and returned to her room.

"She cooks?" Chun-Li asked, an eyebrow raised Spock-style as she watched Shinobu leave.

Kitsune nodded. "Shinobu came to us as her parents divorced. They used to run a popular restaurant in town. Granny Hina gave her a place to stay so she wouldn't have to move from her friends. In lieu of paying rent, she cooks and does the dorm's laundry. Out of curiosity, what does your name mean?"

"My name translates as 'beauty from the heart of spring,' or 'spring beauty,'" Chun-Li explained as she walked down the hall, the girls following her.

"Any family?" Kitsune asked.

Chun-Li stopped in her tracks. Kitsune cursed to herself, as she realized that she had just went into a personal matter with the former Interpol agent.

"My mother was a nurse," Chun-Li replied calmly. "She died when I was ten. My father was a Hong Kong detective. He was murdered when I was seventeen."

Chun-Li remember that fateful day when Gen told her the news of her father's death. She remembered identifying his body and swearing vengeance on the man who murdered Dourai.

"I also have a grandmother, my mother's mother," Chun-Li went on. "She is at her ancestral village in western China. I visit her whenever I can."

"Sorry about your parents," Kitsune apologized. "I didn't know."

Chun-Li waved her off. "Don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong."

"So what is it you do for a living?" Motoko asked.

"Well, for a while, I was a senior detective in the International Criminal Police Organization, otherwise known as Interpol. The youngest in its history," Chun-Li replied with pride in her voice. "Now, I'm in business with my husband. It was his idea to open up a dojo on the other side of Kanagawa, near Red Sparrow Castle. Two disciplines under one roof."

Chun-Li's comment had verified Motoko's suspicions. "I knew it. Your ki does not lie. I had my concerns that you practice the Arts. That and the way you moved. So what's your style?"

"My main style is Wushu Kung Fu," Chun-Li said. "I also know Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chinese Kempo, Jeet Kune Do and my family's style of Kung Fu. I started training when I was four and got my first black belt when I was thirteen. Up until my father's murder, I was the undefeated junior champion back in Hong Kong. Now I compete with my husband in tournaments in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. So don't look surprised if someone challenges me or my airen to a match while we're here."

"'Airen?'" Naru repeated.

"It's Chinese for 'husband,'" Chun-Li explained. "Similar to the Japanese term 'anata.'"

"Oh."

"Ryu is also a martial artist. Like me, he is a master in several styles, but he primarily uses an ancient style of martial arts that has the ability to kill an opponent in one blow," Chun-Li continued. "He is also the current shihan in Shinjutsu, which is also based on the 'one-strike, one-kill' philosophy."

"He didn't kill anyone, did he?" Kitsune asked, eyes wide.

Chun-Li held up her index finger. "One man. He killed only one man. The same man that had murdered my father."

"I don't see you as the person who would get...**married**," Motoko said, pronouncing the last word with disgust. "You seem so independent...so free."

"You got something against men, Motoko?" Chun-Li asked, arms folded under her chest.

In a way, Chun-Li reminded Motoko of her elder sister. Graceful, eloquent and carefree. Tsuruko was a master of the blade, the very epitome of the Gods Cry Kendo School. Then she gave it all up for marriage, forcing Motoko to become the heiress to the school's legacy. And the person Motoko blamed for Tsuruko giving up her birthright was her brother-in-law, Tsuruko's husband.

"Men are vile, perverted beings who want only to control any and everything, including women," Motoko defended. "They wish only to possess what they cannot have, not to mention robbing innocent women of their chastity and exercising total and complete control over their lives."

Chun-Li frowned. 'Yup, just like Keitaro pegged her,' she thought. 'Kendo girl definitely has a male complex.'

"Not all men are perverts or evil, Motoko," Chun-Li replied calmly. "You can't just place a small number of men who are really evil and perverted with the rest of the male population."

Motoko wasn't convinced. "How do you know?"

Looking Motoko dead in her eyes, Chun-Li replied, "As a former Interpol agent, you deal with criminals every day. Several of which are the most evil and sadistic men and women to ever walk the face of the earth."

As Chun-Li said this, her mind went back to four of said evil and sadistic men and women.

A dark-haired woman with her hair in a bun and a petite woman with chestnut bangs, both dressed in identical one-piece black jumpsuits, the backs exposed, heavy red metal gauntlets on their forearms and hands, their faces expressionless, eyes emotionless as they moved in perfect sync.

A claw-toting, snake-tattooed, narcissist Spaniard whose face was hidden behind a mask, hair tied in a braid, his 'perfect' face hidden behind a mask who had an unhealthy obsession with her, wanting to slice her to ribbons. Unfortunately for him, Chun-Li made sure that his masculinity was forever gone thanks to some cursed Jusenkyou water and a Musk relic known as the Preservation Ladle.

Last was the person who killed her father – the dread man in the red military uniform and armor with the purple flames and that insane grin, taunting her in her nightmares over her father's broken body. She had killed him once, but he had revived under unknown circumstances. Ryu ended up killing him for the second time.

Motoko wasn't convinced. Not by a longshot. "I guess it must be the males I've had contact with. Urashima being one of them. Why he managed to hire you on as kanrinrin I will never know. Once I gain control of the Shinmeiryu School, I will bring back the honor of the samurai. The Shinmeiryu School will once again be respected."

Chun-Li shook her head. "No. Your school will not be respected if you continue down this path, Motoko. It will be feared. There is a fine line between between defending innocent people and attacking innocent people under false pretenses...like your manager."

Motoko's comment died on her tongue.

Chun-Li was relentless. "Your kanrinrin cares a great deal about you. All of you. Which is why he sent Ryu and myself to act as the interim kanrinrin. From my dealings with Keitaro, he is clumsy, yes, but not perverted. What would happen if he did not bounce back from your ki attacks or a fist to the face? You and Naru would have killed him, and his blood would have been on your hands."

Naru and Motoko didn't see it that way. All they saw of Keitaro was that he was their personal stressball, a human doormat and scapegoat for their own personal insecurities.

Naru shook that thought out of her mind. 'What does she know?' she thought darkly. 'I'll bet that pervert has been telling her lies about us!'

Kitsune saw that Naru was starting to get upset and quickly moved in to defuse the situation. "Just what Keitaro was planning to do if he didn't hired you and your husband?"

"His original plan was to have you, Naru and Motoko arrested and evicted from the dorm," Chun-Li replied casually, enjoying the looks of surprise on their faces. "From what he's told me, the case he has against the three of you is pretty much ironclad should he decided to file charges against you is pretty ironclad. And trust me. As a former officer of Interpol, I know the law in and out. But you should thank Ryu for talking him out of filing charges on the three of you and rather take the two-month break."

Kitsune was concerned. Here, she thought that Keitaro would just take whatever the girls threw at him. But now, the threat of eviction was real, given what Chun-Li had just revealed. 'Okay, maybe we went overboard with the trial,' she thought.

"So...why did you quit Interpol?" Kitsune asked.

"I didn't quit," Chun-Li replied. "I resigned. Have any of you heard about a organization called Shadowlaw?" When the three girls nodded, Chun-Li continued. "I was one of the agents leading investigation. My partners were an American Air Force captain and a ex-Shadowlaw operative, now working as a agent for the British Secret Service. Shadowlaw had its hands in anything and everything illegal. It also had numerous law enforcement entities on its payroll. When Shadowlaw was destroyed, those crooked agents in Interpol framed me for a botched raid on a Shadowlaw safehouse back in Hong Kong. I was cleared, but the incident opened my eyes."

Chun-Li paused for a moment before continuing. "Doesn't matter who you are, but anyone can be bought, if the price is right. I was an idealist, but the whole debacle has left me...disillusioned. So I tendered my resignation. Some people can be bought, but not me. I promised myself that I would not become a puppet for anyone."

She turned towards the stairs. "Let me know when dinner is ready. I will be in the kanrinrin's room. I need to prepare for Ryu and Keitaro's arrival."

Naru nodded and Chun-Li retreated up the stairs.

Once Chun-Li was gone, the girls began to talk with each other. "That baka hentai was going to evict us?" Naru hissed under her breath. "Just wait until he comes back!"

It was Kitsune that calmed Naru down. "Are you nuts?! We're already on thin ice with Haruka!" she whispered back, trying to rein in her friend's temper. "And given what we put Keitaro through the last year, not to mention this morning, we may have pushed him over the edge! You heard Chun-Li yourself! If she and her husband did not agree to run the Hinata, then the three of us would have been kicked out and arrested when Keitaro came back!"

Motoko sniffed. "It would be hard for a spineless coward like Urashima to make a case against us, given his rampant perversions. The police would more than rather remove him from the dorm before they would to us."

Kitsune shook her head. "But if Keitaro did get us arrested, word will reach Naru's family...and your sister."

Motoko stopped. She didn't expect that, much less think about the ramifications of Keitaro notifying her sister in regards of her attacks because of his so-called rampant acts of 'perversion.'

"You know as well as I do that if your sister finds out that you've been using Keitaro as target practice for your ki attacks," Kitsune continued, "then you might be on the receiving end of them the next time, when Tsuruko uses them on you."

Motoko went pale at the thought of Tsuruko attacking her. She knew that she was out of hr sister's league when it came to the sword. In the back of her mind, she began to wonder if attacking Keitaro all those times were indeed justified.

'I never thought that Urashima would consider throwing us out of the Hinata,' Motoko thought. 'And what Chun-Li has told us about her life...I must meditate on this further.'

Naru decided to drop the matter and returned to her room, as did Kitsune.


End file.
